The Dangerous-Crippling High Effort Steering System on the Chevrolet - Impala

The stiff/tight/heavy "High Effort Steering" system the world-wide automotive industry has designed into their vehicles is silently and painlessly inflicting serious permanent crippling injuries, chronic pain, inflammation, and other injures to our skeletal system and soft tissues of our bodies. Hands and fingers are becoming bent and twisted, developing physical functional movement restrictions, rotor-cuff injures with operations leaving limited arm movement and chronic pain. Chronic back pain which requires operations involving fusion, steel rods, disk replacement and in some cases death from the operation. Carpal tunnel symptoms, numbness in fingers from collapsed and many more serious ailments and much more.

How can my vehicles steering cause these problems? The "high effort steering" exceeds the physical capabilities of our body to deliver the forces to overcome the resistance of the steering wheel to turn. Our body must deliver more force than just the resistance of the wheel to turn. Years ago the steering wheel could be turned with the small finger (Low Effort Steering) Even when parking. Todays vehicles have steering wheels that are hard to turn. Require the whole hand or both hands. Pump sizes have been reduced, weight of steering wheel, advertising campaigns such as "feel the road," "take charge of your car." There is a higher profit in smaller pumps and tubes for the hydraulics. But, even the Chevrolet Malibu with it's new electronic steering has a built in damaging hesitation in the wheel, requiring a shock load to the drivers body.

How is the damage inflicted in our body? We inflict the damage as mini-traumas as we generate the forces to overcome the resistance of the wheel to turn. As a result of the quick response needed for steering the vehicle, we subject our bodies to shock loading mini-traumas. These shock loads cause the damage to our bodies.

One example of shock loading is a driver sitting unsupported in the seat. To turn the "high effort steering" wheel, the hip joints, ankles, and knees become the foundation/support for the forces to be delivered from the hips to the fingers. There is a force loss in every angle between the hip joints and the end of the fingers, because the force is being diverted. Our body does not automatically know what force is required to overcome the resistance of the steering wheel, because each position entails different angles. Our senses control the mechanical movement of our body through immediate feedback to the brain. Delivering the force is not a smooth process due to the variable angles involved and their changing during the process. Thus the body provides mini vibrations in its delivery which adds to the shock loading effects. Road vibrations, etc, add to this as mini-mini traumas.The overall requirement of turning the wheel is a destructive task in itself because the body actually throws the weight of the upper torso into turning the wheel (a natural occurring event due to the wheels resistance).

The 2000 Chevrolet Impala I purchased new from a dealer in Detroit has "high effort steering" (HES) and everyone I have interviewed shares the many physical health problems I have experienced. If you are driver of a HES systems vehicle...it would behoove you to try to find a "Low Effort Steering" vehicle. However, I have not been able to find one which hasn't had an initial resistance to turning.

Below are pictures of skeletal problems developed from driving a 2000 Chevrolet-Impala, unless otherwise noted.

This is a comfortable position to hold the Impala steering wheel for highway driving. Unfortunately, the driver isn't aware of the damage being inflicted because the vibration in the steering wheel numbs the hands as well as the AC when it is running.Look closely and see if you can notice the twisted and bent that have deformed to making full contact with their gripping surface angles.Shock loads causing the knuckles and fingers to bent and twist to conform to the contour happens during the process of delivering the high effort forces required to overcome the steering system resistance to turning. Each single high effort force results in accumulated bone structure/surface damage and body inflammation

Initially the position and holding the wheel with the left hand and elbow rested on the window sill, were comfortable for extended highway driving. However, I never realized the presence of dynamic forces and joint and bone deformities.Elbow resting on window sill, resulted in extensive physical therapy to get my left shoulder and arm to move again. The right hand became my favored hand.....but it lead to severe fingers twisting and bending and LOSS of THUMB USE. Gripping strength is restricted to the inner finger joints and weight sensitive.Loss of physical functional use of the hands is detrimental to everyday functionality

This is how fingers can become bent and twisted from grasping the steering in this position.This would not happen if the steering wheel could be turned with less effort and wasn't so thick.

Look closely. The 7 K numbers represent the various knuckle contact with the steering wheel surface. The surfaces which are not parallel to the natural bending of the knuckles.K2 represents the second knuckle from the tip of the right index finger. K3 represents the first knuckle back for the finger tip.

Compare the K3 and K2 knuckle positions with the index finger on the next picture below. Now you can see how the index has bent and twisted to conform to the grasping surface of the steering wheel.

Though the above picture indicates K11 being the resting spot for the small finger, in this picture the small is shown as positioned to the right of the K9 line. As you can see...the small finger bends to conform to the radius to the right of the K9 line.My friends and I conceived arthritis as being something that was inevitable. But, it doesn't have to be. We do not have to live with arthritis anymore. Product designs can easily accommodate the reality that the skeletal system has a Material Creep force tolerance threshold and that threshold is a variable based upon the process of delivery and receipt of the forces.There is no reason for continued physical cartilage and disk degeneration anymore.

The bending and twisting noted in these 2 pictures is a result of my fingers bending and twisting to conform of the steering wheel of my 2000 Chevrolet Impala. Steering with has such a high effort required to turn it, that it is damaging all drivers. It is impossible to hold the steering wheel in any position that will not cause harm.It is unsafe in any position! Damage is inflicted in both small and large frames. Damage appears faster in smaller framed people. Small framed ladies that drive these vehicles quite often, such as police patrol, will suffer chromic back pain, noticeable bent and twisted fingers, and shoulder problems.

My Dangerous Impala Steering

If you drive an Impala your fingers and knuckles are silently and painlessly becoming bent and twisted, your thumbs are bending outward from the hand, and it may have progressed to loss of thumb use. You may have chronic back pain, shoulder and neck pain, carpal tunnel symptoms, disk compression in your neck and lower back, finger tingling/numbness, reduced gripping strength, increases in headaches, painful hips, knee problems, fatigue, sleeping problems, arthritic fingers. You may have had one or more operation on your back, neck, shoulder or both shoulders, and carpal tunnel on one wrist, inflammation and physical pain.

2000 Chevrolet Impala. This is a picture of holding the steering wheel in the 2 o'clock position. During the process of the body delivering the high forces necessary to overcome the steering system's resistance to turning.....the thumb delivers a force to turn the wheel, which is a dynamic force, and results in a shock load (mini trauma) between the grasping surface of the wheel and the joints of the thumb. Each and every dynamic force results in accumulative damage, which results in thumb deformities shown below.

Picture 28-7 is a picture of an 85 year-young lady. She stopped driving when she was 80. Her fingers were straight until after she In 1986 she purchased a new Ford Aero Star van and drove it until 1994. She acquired 118,000 miles on it. Her fingers were straight until she started driving the van.I do know she suffered hand function restrictions because of the bending and twisting of her fingers from the HES shock loads. The centerline of her fingernail is not in line with the knuckle because the tendons, muscle, and flesh have shifted.

This is a picture of a 57 year-old Quality Engineer. He didn't perform physical work. This outward bending of his thumb is from grasping the wheel on his 2000 Impala.He minimal physical use with his thumbs.

These are pictures of a young lady in her 50's that had straight fingers until she started driving her new Pontiac-Sunbird.The Sunbird has a 'high effort steering' system. Some of her fingers are at a 45 degree angle to the cross axis of her hands. This will prove to be a very serious problem with her quality of life. She will lose her thumb use and gripping strength.

This is a picture of a young 20 year-old girl that drove 100 miles a day back and fourth to college with her brand new Chevrolet-Impala that she was so proud of. She didn't play video games. She watched as her fingers were bending and twisting, constantly asking her parents and relatives. A search was conducted in the family. Their hadn't been any problems with arthritis or deformities in the family history. She was completely perplexed with the whole situation while she watched helplessly as her fingers became bent and twisted and she was losing her gripping strength. Never did she (like many other people) direct one suspicious thought to the stiff, high effort steering of her Impala. Who would believe dynamic forces were generated in the Impala steering process?Her injuries are permanent and she will suffer needlessly, because the design on the Impala, and many other vehicles in the world-wide automotive industry, didn't consider the human physical capabilities of the customers.

Meet 22 year-old Clair. Clair's fingers are deformed from their bending and twisting to conform to the steering wheel on her Mercury Cougar.The Mercury-Cougar, like the Ford Mustang, and other vehicles in the world-wide automotive industry, has a destructive 'high effort steering' system. Drivers, large and small framed, can not avoid the negative consequences of the dynamic forces involved with the steering.This is another young girl who will suffer needlessly and experience loss of gripping function and thumb use and be challenged by simple physical tasks.There are many more Clair's out there driving these physically destructive 'high effort steering' vehicles.Steering efforts have to be reduced to a value that is acceptable to the human body. Additionally, these dynamic forces are responsible for our escalated

In summary: I have driven many vehicles to try to find one which does not have a high effort steering system or a steering system that does not have the damaging initial resistance to turning.

I have driven Nissan, Saturn, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Mercury, Buick, Chevrolet, Dodge, Korean and many other cars and trucks. Nothing is without damage. The lighter the steering the lower the effort and the longer it takes for physical damage to start appearing as body pain or finger deformities.

Design changes in seating, and other factors as mentioned in my book need to be implemented by the world-wide automotive industry because there are many factors in shock loading besides the steering. The steering being the largest denominator.

The automotive industry, just as the video industries, computer and coloring, all provide forces that exceed the various customers physical capabilities.

Children's Material Creep Force Tolerance levels are much lower and adults are higher, but industry provides these damaging forces to all of us.

With this new knowledge, there is no longer any reason why people should suffer and arthritis. We should be able to live arthritic free from acceptance of this knowledge and implementation of design changes for the rest of humanities existence.

The information in this website is from our 5+ year study of children's deformed fingers from video gaming and adult health problems from driving high effort steering systems.

Meet 54 year-old Lana. She has been driving "high effort steering" (HES) vehicles since 1996 when her fingers were straight. The following pictures show the HES permanent damage.

Lana's fingers are bent and twisted to conform to the gripping surfaces of the steering wheels of the HES vehicles she has been driving. The arrows point to the high side of the knuckle from the twisting that has occurred in her fingers. The bones between the knuckles also become twisted.These injuries are permanent and are a result of the fast generation and delivery of the forces required to overcome the resistance of the steering wheel to move. The move you drive..the worse it will become. Each applied force results in a mini trauma. Each trauma, causes permanent mini damage and it accumulative.All fingers are deformed from bending and twisting. The physical functionality of her hands are now reduced. She also suffers physical symptoms, as previously mentioned.

A different view of her left hand. If the fingers are not held beside each other, they will lie on top or below each other because it is typical of all drivers of HES vehicles.

Because of todays thick steering wheel, most drivers can only grasp the wheel with the palm of their hands and the tips of their fingers. Leaving both contact surfaces to deliver the shock loading forces to the steering wheel, which additionally results in the bending of the ends of the fingers as shown in this picture.

Lana is right handed. Her right small finger is so bent and twisted that it will not lay flat on a surface. The world-wide automotive industry failed to consider the human physical capabilities.

If you have experienced these health problems contact your physician or refer them to the information on this site. According to GM the steering on my Impala cannot be reduced. However, maybe your vehicle will allow an adjustment to a lower non-damaging steering effort.

If you cannot obtain corrective action from your vehicle manufacturer then contact:Your senator through the U.S. Congress switchboard (Toll Free) 1-800-828-0498, asking by name or state.National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in Washington, D.C. 1-888-327-4236

+ Today...every foreign and domestic vehicle we've tested has musculoskeletal damaging "high effort steering." If you can not turn the steering wheel of your vehicle "effortlessly" with one small finger...then you will develop serious chronic physical injuries and pain immediately starting with serious permanent bending and twisting of fingers and knuckles. Noticeable physical finger and knuckle deformities will appear within 6,000 miles.+ To avoid the injuries...contact your vehicle manufacturer and have the steering effort reduced to prevent dynamic force shock loading injuries.

and the Saturn, Nissan, Honda, Toyota, BMW. Mercedes, Dodge, Chrysler, Trucks, Cadillac, Buick, SUV's, and most vehicles in the world-wide automotive industry. This page shows the deformities I have developed from my 2000 Chevrolet Impal

Click picture See informative Case Studies (flickr.com)

Click on camera: If your children have deformities like this from gaming, they will have great difficulty performing physical tasks...who will hire them? The Video Gaming Industry ??? You must call your senator today.

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